Endeared (The Accidental Billionaires #5) - J. S. Scott Page 0,6
you. I told you things I never even told her.”
“And she told you things she never told me,” I said, unable to keep the sadness out of my voice.
I’d only found out recently that Andie had been diagnosed with a very aggressive type of cancer while she was studying journalism in Boston. She had, in fact, nearly lost her life while she was struggling through chemo and other types of painful treatment.
Yes, she was well now, and only had one more checkup in Boston before she never had to go back to be checked for her cancer again. Still, it bothered me that she’d never told me the truth.
Luckily, Owen had been there for her, since he’d been attending the same college for premed. Andie didn’t have any real family she could count on, so I was grateful that he’d been there with her.
Owen grimaced. “If I hadn’t been in Boston, I’m not sure Andie would have told me what was going on, either. You know how she is, Layla. She never wants to drag anyone down, so she isn’t big on sharing the bad stuff.”
“She wouldn’t have dragged me down,” I replied adamantly. “She’s my friend. Maybe I could have helped her.”
Reasonably, I probably wouldn’t have been helpful to Andie, since my life had been in turmoil back then. I’d completely forgiven her for not telling me, since I’d kept a lot of things from her, too.
“She tried to kick me out of her life more than once,” Owen shared. “I was just too stubborn to listen to her.”
I bit back a smile, because I could see Andie doing something like that. She’d always been a lot bolder than I was about expressing her emotions. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you were there for her,” I explained. “I just wish she would have told me, too.”
The knowledge that I was straying away from clinic business for the first time with Owen didn’t escape me, but I really was grateful that he’d taken care of Andie when she’d needed him in Boston. He deserved a couple of kinder words for that.
“There were times I wanted to call you and tell you,” he confided. “But I knew that Andie didn’t want anyone else to know, so I had to respect that.”
I nodded. I actually admired the fact that he’d kept Andie’s confidence. “I’m glad she’s well now.”
“Me too,” he said grimly. “There were way too many times that I wasn’t sure she’d make it.”
I softened just a little as I still heard a bit of fear in his tone.
Sometimes, I’d actually wondered if something more than friendship had developed between Andie and Owen during the years they were together in Boston. Andie had never talked about any guy except for Owen. Now I understood why he was the only person she’d mentioned, since she’d been ill at the time, and Owen had been the only person who had been by her side in the hospital.
Watching Andie with Noah, and seeing firsthand how much she adored her new husband, put any question about Andie and Owen being an item to rest. But I could tell from the concern in Owen’s voice how much he cared about Andie, even if it wasn’t and never had been a romantic relationship.
“It must have been difficult for you,” I murmured. “Andie said you were doing a heavy load in college to get through all the premed stuff in two years, and that you were holding down a job, too. I can’t imagine dealing with the stress of Andie being sick on top of all that.”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” he scoffed. “I just did what any other friend would do.”
No, not everyone would have found a way to juggle that many balls in the air, but Owen could be just as stubborn as Andie.
I stood, afraid I was getting way more personal with Owen than I wanted to be. “I better go. Thanks for looking over those cases, Dr. Sinclair.”
“Owen,” he corrected as he folded his arms across his muscular chest. “Are you late for whatever plans you have that are keeping you from having dinner with me?”
I gathered up the files on his desk. “Yes.”
I froze as he grasped one of my wrists and asked huskily, “What are you doing that’s so important, Layla? It’s Friday. Do you have a date?”
I actually did have a date . . . with a middle-aged bulldog I adored, and many other four-legged creatures who needed some attention.